Legislation

The Confidence in Clean Water Permits Act clarifies when a facility is considered compliant with its clean water permit under Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. It broadens compliance to cover pollutants identified during the permit application process, even without specific numerical limits listed. Furthermore, the bill establishes clear requirements for the EPA Administrator when imposing additional water quality-based limitations on permits.

The Broadcast VOICES Act aims to increase ownership diversity in the broadcasting industry by incentivizing the sale of broadcast stations to socially disadvantaged individuals. It establishes a new FCC-managed tax certificate program for qualifying sales, capped at $50 million per transaction. Furthermore, the bill mandates regular FCC reporting on ownership diversity and creates a new tax credit for donating broadcast stations to qualifying training charities.

The Community TEAMS Act of 2025 establishes new federal grants to fund partnerships between medical schools and local health facilities in rural and medically underserved communities. These grants aim to expand clinical training opportunities for medical students in high-need areas. The ultimate goal is to encourage these students to establish long-term medical practices within those communities after graduation.

The SNAP Anti-Theft and Victim Compensation Act of 2025 significantly expands the USDA Inspector General's authority to investigate all forms of SNAP benefit theft, especially cyber fraud. This bill also authorizes states to reimburse households for stolen SNAP benefits due to electronic theft. Finally, it establishes a new civil penalty, doubling the value of stolen benefits, with collected funds dedicated to victim compensation and fraud investigation costs.

The Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act aims to penalize jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. It defines "sanctuary jurisdictions" as those that refuse to honor detainer requests or share immigration information, with an exception for protecting crime victims and witnesses. Furthermore, the bill makes these designated sanctuary jurisdictions ineligible for specific federal development and community improvement funds, such as EDA grants and CDBG funds. Cooperating local officers are granted liability protection when honoring valid federal detainer requests.

The No Passports for Terrorists and Traffickers Act mandates the denial or revocation of U.S. passports for individuals charged with or convicted of providing material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. This measure grants the Secretary of State the authority to restrict travel for those deemed affiliated with terrorism. Exceptions exist for urgent humanitarian needs or safe return to the United States, and affected individuals retain the right to appeal the decision.

The Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act of 2025 updates federal programs to better support and protect runaway, homeless, and trafficked youth. This legislation modernizes grant programs to ensure services are trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and address critical needs like housing, education, and mental health. It also expands communication channels to include online outreach and strengthens coordination across federal agencies to combat youth homelessness and exploitation.

The STOP CSAM Act of 2025 significantly strengthens protections for child victims and witnesses in federal court by expanding definitions of harm and restricting the public disclosure of their identities. It mandates new, strict reporting duties for tech providers regarding child sexual exploitation material, backed by substantial criminal and civil penalties for non-compliance. Furthermore, the Act creates broad new civil remedies allowing victims to sue responsible online platforms and app stores for damages related to exploitation that occurred during their childhood. Finally, it improves restitution procedures, particularly for vulnerable victims, while ensuring existing state and tribal protections remain intact.

The Medical Research for Our Troops Act increases the budget for the Defense Health Agency's research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E). This legislation specifically restores and increases funding for these critical defense health programs. The restored funds must be used to support all previously directed medical research programs and initiatives as outlined in prior appropriations acts.

The Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship (FUELS) Act revises the storage capacity thresholds that trigger the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule for preventing oil spills into navigable waters. This legislation significantly increases the general aggregate aboveground storage capacity threshold from 20,000 to 42,000 gallons. The Act also modifies specific secondary containment capacity requirements.

The Reimagining Inclusive Arts Education Act establishes a new competitive grant program to fund activities that enhance and ensure inclusive arts education for children with disabilities. These grants will support organizations in developing new teaching methods, providing professional training, and adapting materials to increase access. Priority will be given to entities serving schools already receiving Title I funding, with an authorization of $15 million across five fiscal years.

This Act facilitates a land exchange between Chugach Alaska Corporation and the U.S. Government to resolve complex ownership issues stemming from post-Exxon Valdez oil spill conservation acquisitions. The exchange allows the Federal Government to consolidate surface and subsurface rights for conservation lands while granting Chugach Alaska approximately 65,000 acres of fee simple land. This trade aims to perfect federal conservation efforts and help Chugach Alaska better manage its assets under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

The Water Quality Technology Availability Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to base national water pollution limits on technology that is currently commercially available in the United States. This change ensures that effluent limitation guidelines reflect practical, accessible pollution control solutions. The bill amends existing law to clarify the standard the EPA must use when setting industry discharge rules.

The ENROLL Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the ACA Navigator program by expanding their required duties to include educating the public on Medicaid and CHIP. This legislation mandates that federally-run Marketplaces prioritize qualified applicants and ensures dedicated annual funding for Navigator grants in those states. Furthermore, Navigators will now be required to maintain a physical presence to provide in-person assistance throughout the year.

The Clarifying Federal General Permits Act amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify the EPA Administrator's authority for issuing general permits for water pollution discharges. This legislation ensures continuity of coverage for existing discharges if the EPA fails to issue a timely notice regarding the expiration or renewal of a general permit. Essentially, existing permit terms remain in effect until a new permit is issued or a specific wind-down period concludes.

The Student-athlete Protections and Opportunities through Rights, Transparency, and Safety Act (SPORTS Act) establishes federal guidelines for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights, ensuring student-athletes can profit from their identity while protecting them from undue restrictions. The bill mandates transparency regarding NIL compensation and requires athletic organizations to register agents and create market value databases. Furthermore, it imposes new requirements on institutions receiving federal funding, including post-graduation medical coverage and protection for athletic scholarships. Finally, this Act preempts conflicting state and local laws concerning athlete compensation and employment status.

The Empowering Parents’ Healthcare Choices Act allows parents with separate health insurance plans to jointly choose which plan will serve as the primary coverage for their newborn child. This choice must be communicated to the insurers within 60 days of the child's birth. This new flexibility applies to coverage decisions for children born on or after January 1, 2026.

The STABLE GENIUS Act prohibits federal candidates and officeholders from trading or holding digital assets like cryptocurrency while running for or serving in office. This measure aims to prevent conflicts of interest by banning covered individuals from buying, selling, or sponsoring these investments during specific timeframes. Officials may only retain assets by placing them into an approved, strictly managed qualified blind trust. Violators face significant civil penalties, and knowing, large-scale violations can result in criminal prosecution and imprisonment.

The Stop the Baseline Bloat Act of 2025 aims to reform how federal budget baselines are calculated under existing deficit control laws. Specifically, this bill mandates that funding designated as "emergency requirements" or provided through supplemental appropriations must be excluded when determining the baseline spending level. This change seeks to prevent temporary, non-recurring spending from artificially inflating future budget caps.

The Jurisdictional Determination Backlog Reduction Act mandates the Secretary of the Army to eliminate the existing backlog of applications for certain permits and jurisdictional determinations with the Army Corps of Engineers. Within 60 days of enactment, the Corps must prioritize and expedite the review of all pending applications existing as of June 5, 2025. This is achieved by immediately shifting or adding necessary staff and resources to clear the accumulated workload.